Chapter 13
Pottery-making mainly falls into two directions: hand-building and wheel-throwing. Depending on your design needs, the production cycle also determines which method you should use.
Xi Yao was making only a single cup, but one with a strong design sensibility. It had to be unique, so naturally she chose the more flexible method with greater freedom, one that could better show off an artistic feel.
Yu Nianyi thought it over briefly. Remembering Xi Yu’s first impression, she still chose to cater to her tastes and picked a more traditional, regular method; it would just take more time.
Fortunately, both of them were art majors, so they already had an advantage in shaping and aesthetics. On top of that, since they could watch the production steps when they came to the shop, it was naturally easier to get started.
Xu Ruoyan gave each of them a different lump of clay and asked them to knead it a little to get a feel for it.
Xi Yao sat on the right. Following the method Xu Ruoyan explained, she slowly and repeatedly patted the clay ball, gradually working it into a round shape.
Xu Ruoyan sat between them; most of her attention was on Yu Nianyi, after all, kneading the clay was a very important step.
Following Xu Ruoyan’s explanation, Yu Nianyi placed both hands on either side of the lump of clay and kept slapping it over and over until it became a block roughly shaped like a cuboid.
“During kneading, there’s one very important point: you have to push all the air bubbles out of the clay, just like kneading dough. We usually use two methods,” Xu Ruoyan said as she set Yu Nianyi’s clay block upright in the middle, then pointed to the base of her own thumb. “You can use the fleshy part of your palm here on the lower left and lower right. Push forward with the motion, then let your four fingers rest in front of the clay and pull back with it. Don’t pull too far upward.”
Xu Ruoyan leaned forward slowly, her arms and hands moving together. After several slow rounds, the originally square lump of clay had instantly turned into something like a ram’s horn.
Xu Ruoyan let go and gestured to Yu Nianyi. “You’ll need to repeat it about fifty more times. Try it the way I just showed you.”
Yu Nianyi nodded. Recalling Xu Ruoyan’s movements, she placed her hands in the right positions and began the cycle again and again.
Xu Ruoyan nodded. “You learn quickly.”
Yu Nianyi smiled. “It’s because Sister Ruoyan teaches so clearly and carefully.”
Hearing that, Xu Ruoyan unconsciously pressed her lips together in a smile, and even her expression brightened. “You’re not wrong.”
As for Xi Yao, she needed to control the pressure while kneading the clay and keep its moisture balanced at all times; she couldn’t be impatient.
Xu Ruoyan watched the two of them for a while longer before a staff member from the shop called her away. It seemed a customer was looking for her.
“Good thing I cut my nails, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to do this,” Xi Yao said, letting out a breath as she supported the clay body with one hand and evened out the thickness of the edges.
Yu Nianyi turned her head and just happened to see Xi Yao’s fingers pressed together, her nails neatly rounded; under the warm light, they glowed with a faint pinkish flesh tone.
She let out an “oh” and laughed. “You’re getting more and more like you know what you’re doing.”
Xi Yao grinned. “Of course. If I get serious, nothing’s a problem.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Xi Yao suddenly looked at Yu Nianyi, who was kneading the clay with rare seriousness. “You’re making that for my sister?”
“Yes.”
“If you’re making a whole tea set, that’ll take quite a bit of time, right? Can you work it into your schedule?”
“It’s fine. I’m not in a hurry with this one anyway.”
“You like my sister that much?”
“...”
Click—
Yu Nianyi paused and looked toward the sound.
Xu Ruoyan was standing at the half-open doorway. She pushed the door open and walked in, waving with a smile. “Hey, I wasn’t deliberately eavesdropping. I just happened to hear it.”
“What you were just talking about... was Xi Yao’s sister?”
Xi Yao hummed in acknowledgment. “Sister Ruoyan probably doesn’t know her. My sister only came back from Shenzhen not long ago.”
Xu Ruoyan sat down between the two of them, glanced at the clay in their hands, then continued, “Your sister is Xi Yu, right?”
Yu Nianyi’s hands froze. She turned her head to look at Xu Ruoyan.
Xi Yao looked shocked. “Sister Ruoyan knows my sister too? I thought she was always busy with work and didn’t have any friends in Jiayang in everyday life.”
Xu Ruoyan smiled helplessly and lightly tapped Xi Yao on the forehead. “You really don’t understand your sister at all. You probably don’t spend much time together, do you?”
Xi Yao hissed and instinctively looked away, muttering, “She doesn’t come home often. Of course we’re not together.”
“How do you know Xi Yu?” Yu Nianyi asked.
Xu Ruoyan studied Yu Nianyi’s expression. After a pause, she said, “I have a friend who runs a gallery; I happened to meet Xi Yu through her. Xi Yu knows a lot about art and has her own opinions. She’s very pleasant to get along with.”
“I remember once I even came to the studio with that friend to take a look. She was very interested in ceramics too. Something she said during our conversation left a deep impression on me: she said there would probably be a lot of customers who came to the shop at night.”
Yu Nianyi nodded, puzzled. “Why would she say that?”
Xu Ruoyan smiled, a faint light spilling into her eyes. “I had the same question you do. She said this place made people feel calm inside. So she guessed there would be quite a few office workers who’d come to experience it; it was just that because of work, they could only come at night to relax a little.”
Xi Yao braced herself on the edge of the table and immediately asked, “So that was really the case?”
Xu Ruoyan nodded. “Yes. There were quite a few regular customers too.”
“Back then, I already felt she was very thoughtful and had a very sharp eye.”
Yu Nianyi thought for a long time. Recalling everything Xi Yu had done before, she slowly curved her lips, the amusement in her eyes growing deeper.
Time in the shop passed quickly. Once she got absorbed in the process, nothing around her could affect her at all.
It was nearly eleven at night before Xu Ruoyan finally pulled the two of them up and practically chased them out of the shop.
Xi Yao’s cup already had a rough shape, but it still needed to be carefully preserved.
Yu Nianyi’s clay hadn’t gone smoothly on the wheel. Several times, the shape she made didn’t satisfy her; it was even awkward and unnatural. In the end, she had no choice but to stop for now and try again later.
When they walked out of the shop, Yu Nianyi could still see plenty of people coming and going. Xu Ruoyan saw them off, then turned back to get busy again.
Since Wang Jie Noodle Shop was nearby, Xi Yao didn’t ask the family driver to pick them up. Instead, she found a reasonably good ride-hailing car; it was clean and spacious, with a faint scent lingering inside.
The two of them got in, and Yu Nianyi asked to stop in front of Wang Jie Noodle Shop. She needed to take a few reference photos.
At eleven at night, there were hardly any people left on Guangming Road or Ankang Street. In Alley 22, the lights were dim and yellowish; Wang Jie Noodle Shop’s door was shut tight, with only a sliver of light showing through the window.
The car drove into the somewhat narrow alley, and the two of them got out.
Yu Nianyi stood in front of Wang Jie Noodle Shop, holding up her phone toward the road opposite. She tilted the phone slightly, then straightened it; after repeating this several times, she finally found an angle she was satisfied with.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t snowing today. The night was a heavy, dark sheet; the cold wind cut across people’s faces, and the wind whistled in her ears. Her hair was blown into a mess, fluttering wildly and occasionally covering Yu Nianyi’s eyes as she looked around.
Xi Yao found it amusing and stood nearby to take a somewhat messy, awkward photo of Yu Nianyi. Her golden hair was flying everywhere; Yu Nianyi’s face was hidden beneath it, standing in the alley and looking especially ridiculous.
Xi Yao chuckled and immediately sent it to Luo Yiran.
Yu Nianyi didn’t care. After the photos were taken, she got back into the car with Xi Yao.
“Come stay at my place tonight?” Xi Yao said while typing on her phone. “It’s too late today. Let the driver take us straight to my house; that’ll be more convenient.”
“Otherwise, if we go to yours, we’d have to make an extra detour.”
Yu Nianyi looked down to check her photos. Seeing that the lighting and atmosphere were more or less what she wanted, and that the details were captured too, she nodded without hesitation. “Okay.”
-
Xi Yao’s home was on the street behind the Jiangbei Academy campus. It was said that Xi Yao hadn’t liked the somewhat cramped dormitory environment, so she asked to find a fairly spacious place outside; within a three-kilometer radius, it was considered the best area, with good facilities and service.
Even so, Xi Yao only went back to stay there occasionally. If something came up suddenly, or if she went out to have fun, she’d just go wherever was closer; she truly lived a carefree and indulgent life.
Fanghua International.
Yu Nianyi and Xi Yao got out of the car, greeted the security guard, then went straight to the elevator and headed to the twentieth floor.
Each floor had one elevator and two apartments, with 150 square meters per unit; it was more than enough for one person.
Xi Yao opened the door, casually threw her bag onto the cabinet by the entrance, and walked in wearing slippers with a pattering sound before plopping down on the spacious beige sofa. “Your slippers are inside. I ordered a late-night snack; we can eat a bit together later.”
Yu Nianyi took out the white slippers with practiced ease and put them on before walking into the living room.
The living room was just as Yu Nianyi remembered it: clothes strewn everywhere, a guitar, xuan paper on the low table, a bicycle hanging on the wall. At a glance, it actually didn’t feel that empty.
“How come I remember you used to be all about body management? And now you’ve completely let yourself go today?” Yu Nianyi asked as she sat down next to Xi Yao.
Xi Yao let out a long sigh and clasped her hands together exaggeratedly toward Yu Nianyi in a bow. “But I still have you, don’t I? If we eat together, then I won’t feel guilty.”
“And I remember you didn’t eat dinner tonight. No matter what, I can’t let Sister Yu go hungry.”
Yu Nianyi let out an “oh” and didn’t expose her, playing along with a smile. “So it was for me. Then I guess I have to thank you.”
Xi Yao smiled with pursed lips and waved her hand generously. “Don’t mention it. Just think of it as thanks for keeping me company tonight!”
Yu Nianyi said nothing more. Her gaze unconsciously fell on a landscape painting on the low table to the side; it seemed to be a practice copy Xi Yao had done. The work was highly finished, and the brushwork and technique in the painting were quite skilled.
Her phone suddenly rang. Xi Yao glanced at the screen, and the next second, she straightened up sharply, her face going stiff.
The ringtone rang for a long time. Yu Nianyi looked at Xi Yao, who was now sitting upright and proper with confusion, and saw Xi Yao press the answer button and open her lips. “Sis.”